1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weighing and transporting system for weighing and transporting articles in a high volume production line. More specifically, the invention relates to a transporter which rapidly moves the articles off of the weighing scale in order to clear the scale for the next article to be weighed. The system also rapidly separates the acceptable articles from the unacceptable articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known for example in the art of packaging to utilize a production line process for filling individual containers such as pouches with the desirable product such as a food stuff. Packaging production lines, however, do not always provide uniform filling so that the sealed pouches may have differing final weights. It is generally unacceptable to market a product having varying weights so it is essential to checkweigh the individual pouches. Indications of pouch weight permits the rejection of underweight pouches and the determination of the performance of the filling machine.
It is desirable to weigh the individual pouches as close to the filling operation as possible. In doing so, the filling machine operator is given immediate information regarding the performance of the filling machine. With this information, immediate adjustments to the filling machine may be made. Thus, it has been conventional to weigh the pouches by automatic checkweighers immediately after the pouches have been discharged from the filling machine. However, recent advances in the design of filling machines have increased the speed of the filling machines beyond the capacity of the so called static type checkweighers which are often preferred due to their high accuracy, their precise article placement and their open design which resists jamming caused by spillage.
Prior art checkweighers separate unacceptable pouches from acceptable pouches at the position of the checkweigher scale. Multiple actions are commonly required to accomplish the separation. Thus, one device is used to move the acceptable pouch away from the checkweigher scale while a separate device is used to move the unacceptable pouch in another direction. Conventional arrangements include tilting platforms and/or reciprocating pushers which interfere with one another in their actuated positions. Thus, before one of the devices could be actuated, the action of the other device would have to be completed in order to avoid interference. These prior devices were particularly time consuming since one-half of the total time required for the completion of the action would elapse during the unproductive return stroke of the reciprocating devices.
The potential for interference in the prior art devices and the need to wait for the previous action to be completed not only resulted in complication of the control systems but also resulted in limitation of the maximum capacity of the checkweigher system with the result that the checkweigher scale encumbered the production line and limited its ultimate speed. Thus, a need exists for a checkweigher system which is more economical in its utilization of time required to clear the checkweigher scale of the weighed product and to separate the unacceptable products from the acceptable product.